The path to electoral autocracy is a dangerous one, even for the leader who paves it. By definition, it creates an executive authority that is too powerful to give up. As one Polish politician put it in the lead-up to the 2023 general election following eight years of gradual shift towards electoral autocracy, “this election is about whether we g

The nomination of party politicians as president and their subsequent compliant attitude continued beyond Schmitt. Fidesz politician Janos Ader, author of the 2011 judiciary reform and president from 2012 to 2022, at times used his veto powers, but did not position himself as an independent counterweight or check on the government’s authority. Hi

Securing the loyalty of the president of the republic was another crucial aspect of Fidesz’s strategy. Although the role of president is largely symbolic, the office signs laws into effect and has the right to challenge the constitutionality of legislation passed by parliament. After the mandate of President Laszlo Solyom, an independent legal sc